<?php
/**
 * <https://y.st./>
 * Copyright © 2018 Alex Yst <mailto:copyright@y.st>
 * 
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 * but WITHOUT ANY WARRANTY; without even the implied warranty of
 * MERCHANTABILITY or FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE. See the
 * GNU General Public License for more details.
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 * You should have received a copy of the GNU General Public License
 * along with this program. If not, see <https://www.gnu.org./licenses/>.
**/

$xhtml = array(
	'<{title}>' => 'Physically ill',
	'<{body}>' => <<<END
<section id="ill">
	<h2>This crap is making me physically ill</h2>
	<p>
		After waking up, I sort of freaked out a bit because I couldn&apos;t move my right arm.
		After a few seconds though, I remembered.
		Oh.
		Right.
		Sleep paralysis.
		I forgot that was a thing.
		I haven&apos;t dealt with that in a while.
	</p>
	<p>
		My nose is all stuffy, and I&apos;m coughing up a storm.
		I haven&apos;t felt this ill in a while.
		I think it&apos;s all the travel.
		I knew it was taking a lot out of me, but I didn&apos;t realise just how much; my immune system is suffering.
		I nearly didn&apos;t head out this morning.
	</p>
</section>
<section id="laptop">
	<p>
		I sort of wavered a bit last night, mulling over the thought of buying brand new hardware to avoid continuing this ordeal.
		I knew I couldn&apos;t actually do that though.
		I&apos;m way too poor for that.
		This would need to continue until I find a working computer.
		I did need to go about it more slowly though, and more stratigraphy.
		Or so I thought.
	</p>
	<p>
		First of all, I should never try to buy a computer unless I <strong>*already*</strong> have the Debian system image.
		For the first recent computer, I had the image, but I wiped it and still bought (or rather, exchanged for) the second computer anyway.
		That cost me time.
		I should probably have both the net installer (in case Wi-Fi works) and live installer (in case it doesn&apos;t) on hand.
		I might want to keep a directory on my external hard drive for simply storing these images between uses so I don&apos;t delete my only copies and need to redownload.
		Second, I shouldn&apos;t buy an Hewlett-Packard computer.
		Ever.
		The risk of a $a[DRM]ed $a[BIOS] is just too great.
		It&apos;s bad enough when the hardware&apos;s functionality is deliberately kept secret so free software can&apos;t be built to make the most use of it, but when $a[DRM] additionally impedes the replacement of unusable components and makes the whole laptop a brick, we&apos;ve got a major problem.
		Third, I need to first install the system unencrypted.
		I shouldn&apos;t go for a usable system right away, but a quick, testing system.
		If it works out, I&apos;ll reinstall and encrypt.
		Fourth, I should only buy a laptop there when I have at least two days off in a row.
		On the first day, I buy the machine and test it.
		On the second day, I return it.
		No exchanges; only returns.
		An exchange means that if the next laptop is garbage, I&apos;m stuck going in again.
	</p>
	<p>
		I decided all this before I left the apartment, then I took the journey at a more-leisurely pace than before.
		I even shut off my alarm clock last night, then didn&apos;t leave the apartment right away when I woke up.
		After all, I didn&apos;t need to rush there and back to have time to test the new machine, because I wasn&apos;t getting one.
		The trip was much less taxing this time, and I actually convinced myself than maybe I <strong>*could*</strong> keep doing this, as long as I keep my $a[ISO]s on hand and don&apos;t rush the trip.
		I got there though, and the recycling centre didn&apos;t have anything new for me to try, so I left empty-handed.
		It&apos;s probably a good thing, too.
		Before leaving, I asked about old G Wi-Fi cards.
		They don&apos;t sell them.
		I didn&apos;t think to ask until I got home, but they probably scrap them like they do the old 32-bit machines!
		This is why none of the laptops they sell me have working Wi-Fi.
		They&apos;re getting rid of the Wi-Fi cards that work!
		The simple fact is that the recycling centre&apos;s changed since I first started going there.
		They&apos;ve probably grown in popularity to the point that they get more donations than they can sell.
		So they scrap the old stuff, as the new stuff sells better.
		The new stuff is too locked down and/or too under-documented to be Debian-compatible though.
		It doesn&apos;t matter how many times I return, almost everything I get there isn&apos;t going to function now.
		They care about recycling, but they don&apos;t care about freedom.
		They&apos;re scrapping precarious treasures and selling the shiny junk.
		Only by getting incredibly lucky will I stumble upon a working laptop there.
		The prices on their lowest-end laptops have gone up since I bought <a href="/en/domains/bailey.local.xhtml"><code>bailey</code></a> there; they&apos;ve doubled.
		Again, it&apos;s a sign they&apos;re not selling the old stuff any more.
	</p>
	<p>
		If I get a brand new laptop, it should last longer.
		Many people throw out their computers after a year or two, when something shinier comes along.
		Instead, I run my machines until they burn out.
		If I get a new one, it should last me several years instead of a handful of months, like these last machines have.
		Speaking of which, these last few laptops I&apos;ve gotten there haven&apos;t lasted long.
		I sort of wonder if either they&apos;re not getting repaired as well as before, either due to lack of caring or as a way to try to drive business up.
		(You donate the broken computer back to them too, so they get your money for the next machine and they get your last machine to repair and sell again.)
		I&apos;m not quite ready to break down and buy a new machine, committing to that plan, but I&apos;ve got a bad feeling about <code>bailey</code>.
		I think it&apos;s going to give up the ghost soon.
		I can&apos;t afford to be without a working machine, and if it dies on me, I can&apos;t expect the recycling centre to have a replacement right away, if ever again.
		I really do need to collect my thoughts, decide on a plan, commit to it, and act.
	</p>
	<p>
		<em>*sigh*</em>
		Maybe I&apos;ll try one more time.
		The recycling centre had one laptop that looked like it might work, but the representative said I&apos;d already tried another of that model and it hadn&apos;t worked.
		That didn&apos;t seem right, but I didn&apos;t think to check my receipt, which I had on me at the time, but had to give them before leaving.
		I don&apos;t know what they&apos;re talking about though.
		It was a Dell Latitude E5500, I think.
		It was something like that.
		Remembering I linked to an article on the crashing problem, I basically had a record of what that first machine was; it wasn&apos;t a Dell machine of any sort.
		In a surprise twist, it was a Hewlett-Packard!
		So I&apos;ve had two failed machines now, both Hewlett-Packards.
		Both failures were intentionally caused by the manufacturer: in one case, they kept the details on how to make the hardware function a secret and in the other, they outright installed $a[DRM] as a part of the $a[BIOS] to deliberately <strong>*prevent*</strong> the hardware from working.
		I&apos;m seeing a pattern.
		Again, I shouldn&apos;t buy Hewlett-Packard hardware.
		Ever.
		A Dell Latitude {something} though?
		<code>bailey</code>&apos;s a Dell Latitude E6400.
		I&apos;m typing this journal entry on a Dell Latitude {something}, and Debian&apos;s running just fine on it.
		It&apos;s not an exact model match, but Dell hasn&apos;t shown me a deliberate desire to cause problems.
		I really, really don&apos;t want to return there tomorrow.
		And in all likelihood, I don&apos;t think I will.
		I think I&apos;ll wait until my new Wi-Fi card arrives in the mail.
		I&apos;m tired of knocking <code>bailey</code> offline, shutting it down to borrow the Wi-Fi card.
		Waiting will give me a chance to rest, too.
		The Dell machine they have in now could very well be gone by the time I get back, but that&apos;s fine.
		I have a better idea of what to avoid now: Hewlett-Packard machines.
		I can look into whatever else they&apos;ve got.
		Then again, I was really feeling the effects of all this travel on my knees at work.
		Even if I can endure during the trips themselves, I&apos;m not sure I can or should endure the aftermath on a maybe.
	</p>
</section>
END
);
